A spinster whose passion was bird-watching, a dotty peer who pinched pennies, and a baffling murder made the tiny village of Littlebourne a most extraordinary place. And a severed finger made a ghastly clue in the killing that led local constables from a corpse to a boggy footpath to a beautiful lady's mansion. But Richard Jury refused, preferring to take the less traveled route to a slightly disreputable pub, The Anodyne Necklace. There, drinks all around loosened enough tongues to link a London mugging with the Littlebourne murder and a treasure map that would chart the way to yet another chilling crime.

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A spinster whose passion was bird-watching, a dotty peer who pinched pennies, and a baffling murder made the tiny village of Littlebourne a most extraordinary place. And a severed finger made a ghastly clue in the killing that led local constables from a corpse to a boggy footpath to a beautiful lady's mansion.

But Richard Jury refused, preferring to take the less traveled route to a slightly disreputable pub, The Anodyne Necklace. There, drinks all around loosened enough tongues to link a London mugging with the Littlebourne murder and a treasure map that would chart the way to yet another chilling crime.

This is the book that really hooked me on the series. Grimes spread her wings and it shows in character development and dialog. Just the right amount of sweet, sad and dry humor.

This series won't be for every mystery lover, lots off British colloquialisms and I'm sure some people will be offended by Ash the Flash in this very sensitive century. This book was written in1983 and even with Ash the Flash in my very humble opinion is not dated.

Even though many of the regular characters are missing from this story, it is my favorite of the Richard Jury series available on Audible and I am anxiously awaiting the addition of more titles. One of my favorite mystery writers, Martha Grimes continues to add new cast members and develop their relationships as the series progresses. I particularly appreciate her characterizations of self sufficient children in books 2 and 3. Sorry to say Aunt Agatha is not a continuing presence in this story and I missed her but she will return! Years ago I owned the series on audio cassettes, read by Tim Curry, and I personally prefer Steve West's less stilted narration

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